Government has been urged to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 to fight violence and harassment at workplaces and protect the dignity and integrity of workers.

The ILO C190 on violence and harassment is an international declaration that was adopted by the global community on June 21, 2019, and it sought to eliminate all forms of violence, intimidation and harassment at workplaces and ensure better condition of service for workers.

It is also to enhance the rights and freedoms of workers and prevent employers from taking advantage of their employees.

The Upper East Regional Programmes Officer, Action Aid Ghana, Mr Yakubu Akuka, made the call at Bolgatanga through the organization's Upper East Regional Chapter of the Activista Ghana Youth Group as part of the celebration of the International Labour Month.

The group which called on government to further intensify education on the Convention also marched through the major streets of Bolgatanga holding placards with inscriptions such as “ratify ILO C190”, “protect women workers,” “stop sex for jobs”, “lets end harassment at workplaces”, “stop gender based violence,” and “zero violence at workplaces” among others.

They further carried out public announcement at market places and lorry parks to educate people on the existence of the Convention so as to galvanize support for its ratification.

Vulnerable

Mr Akuka noted that although there were laws such as the Labour Law and the 1992 Constitution, violence and harassment at the various workplaces was still prevalent.

The Programmes Officer indicated that the women were mostly affected due to their vulnerability and said the informal sector experienced the worst cases.

“If you look around you will realise that a lot of people especially women go through a lot of harassment and violence and so we think if government ratify this Convention, it will go a long way to contribute to addressing the menace,” he added.

Mr Akuka therefore called on government to prioritize the ratification of the Convention during the 2021 ILO conference slated for June, this year.

He observed that when the Convention was ratified it would contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially goals five and eight which talks about gender equality, decent work and economic growth respectively.

Harassment

The Regional Coordinator, Activista Ghana, Mr Nicholas Azebire said due to unemployment most young people were mostly harassed when searching for jobs especially in the informal sector.

He said the future of the country belonged to the youth and therefore was it was imperative for stakeholders including government to take urgent steps to protect young people particularly those who were mostly vulnerable and empower them to accelerate the development of the nation.

Mr Azebire said when the Convention was ratified it would strengthen the existing laws and regulations regarding decent work and make them operational to address the phenomenon to promote inclusiveness and a fair society.

A member of Activista Ghana, Mr Samson Abdulai noted that Ghana was already a signatory to the Convention and its ratification would further enhance Ghana’s respect for the rights of workers especially women.